By 2050, 42% of Ethiopians will live in urban settings. Rapid urban population growth is placing pressure on infrastructure, social environments, and health and educational systems. Health problems such as transmission of HIV, TB, and water-borne diseases are exacerbated by crowded urban conditions and changing social norms, and some urban residents, especially those in the lowest wealth quintiles, have similar – or worse – health outcomes than their rural counterparts.

Strengthening Ethiopia’s Urban Health Program (SEUHP) is supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to improve the health status of the urban population in Ethiopia by reducing HIV/tuberculosis (TB)-related and maternal, neonatal and child mortality and the incidence of communicable and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). SEUHP builds upon the many experiences and lessons learned under JSI’s USAID/Urban Health Extension Program (USAID/UHEP), which operated from 2009-2012. A major lesson learned under USAID/UHEP and urban health programs around the world is that addressing urban health requires the engagement of many different sectors of government and society, as well as the integration of public health, social science, epidemiology, urban planning, and policy.

Together with Ethiopian partners and stakeholders, including Emmanuel Development Association (EDA) and Addis Ababa University, SEUHP is strengthening the Government of Ethiopia’s (GoE) Urban Health Extension Program (UHEP) by improving the quality, use, and management of community-level urban health and related services. SEUHP is assisting the GoE to improve the quality of community-level urban health services, increase demand for facility-level health services, strengthen regional platforms for improved implementation of the national urban health strategy, and improve collaboration between various sectors working on urban sanitation and waste management. Over the life of the program, 49 cities/towns will be supported. SEUHP’s work is reaching vulnerable groups, including those in the lowest wealth quintile, marginalized communities, and individuals, and those who are not accessing health services; as well as supporting initiatives in workplaces, youth centers, and schools.